The Ladies On TLC’s Wives With Beehives Want To Live In The 1950s…When Life Was So Great For Women

Oh, TLC. Draw me closer into your mysterious embrace. Tangle me more intricately into your web of stories. Make me question your intentions with more shows like Wives With Beehives.

Now, before I explain exactly what that is, is it just me or are we at a point where it’s legitimately impossible to tell what a TLC show is about because they’ve gone so far off the rails? When Jenni asked me to cover Wives With Beehives for Crushable, we had to look it up on their website to determine whether it was a reality show about professional beekeepers falling in love, or something Mormon-y because of the beehives. Turns out, neither. Wives With Beehives is about a community of ladies who like to dress up, act, and live like it’s still the 1950s. You know, because that was such a fun time to be a lady. You got access to all those opportunities and birth control and equal-paying jobs and whatnot. It was paradise. But these women really think it was, and they’re into all of it, but particularly the clothing, makeup, and gender roles. So let me introduce you to them, cone-bras and all.

There’s Dollie, the blond pin-up girl who just got married, and Shelby, another blond pin-up girl who just got married. You can tell them apart because Dollie is a bitch who hates Shelby and the fact that she isn’t the only blond of the group anymore. Also at the big party, Shelby is the one without any friends and Dollie is the one who refused to introduce her to anyone, hiding behind her husband and refusing to get backed into a conversation. Like…with anyone. It’s very odd. You’d think in a community this small, you’d be grateful for others who share your lifestyle, but instead the girls are suuuuper competitive. Some of them say they don’t want to live in the modern world so there isn’t any form of “Keeping Up With The Joneses” as far as who has the newest computer or electronics, but the cattiness and pettiness between ladies more than makes up for it.

The other two women are Amber, who’s a redhead, and the brunette, Leslie. Everyone on the show is married because WHAT ELSE IS THERE IN THE 50s, but these are the older two of the group. Amber is 37 and Leslie is 43. They get along — they went to an outdoor boot camp class together in full hair, makeup and dungarees — but are (of course) secretly judge-y of each other as well. You see, Amber is more the traditional fifties housewife. She makes everything from scratch and is always polite, organized, and on time. Whereas Leslie has help at home in the form of maids and gardeners, and frequently shows up late places because her hair and makeup are her main foci. Amber doesn’t like that Leslie isn’t traditional, and Leslie doesn’t like Amber judging her just because she can afford a different lifestyle.

Oh and of course Dollie and Shelby both judge the older ladies for getting plastic surgery. They think you should let your body age naturally. They’re all about doing things the natural way, obviously, since they dress up in corsets and gloves in California in 2012. Also you’re twenty, so shut up, your time will come for surgical enhancement, you circus freaks. Whoa, sorry. My opinions really got away from me there for a second. I think it’s because there’s so much hypocrisy and back-stabbing in this group. You do whatever you want, but I’m not super into watching you be catty about your fellow castmates and complain about people paying attention to you and ruining your day while you’re filming a reality TV show.

Oh and don’t pretend you guys don’t have email addresses. I know you. I see you. There’s no way you taped your auditions on your vintage Victrolas and sent it by goddamn telegram. Did I go too far back in time? Well goddamn it. I mean…golly gee willickers.

I’m sorry but your seriously pulling the wool over your eyes if you think this is “real life” it’s reality TV! Of course these ladies have emails and cells come on, and even those these lovely ladies are real, the situations are obviously staged and highly edited.

jennieg

but they are catty like that in real life
things appear larger on TV
with that being said they are half the catty “whos cocks bigger” in real
but none the less

SVC

No need to be so judgy.

Guy

If you think that the portrayals on that show were legitimate, you’re just as much of a loser as you think those ladies are. Get a life, and learn to write like an educated adult.

msmademoiselle

just saw the show for the first time, i thi nk it s really cool that they live according to what feels right for them.i love vintage also, so i know the appeal you are talking about.

msmademoiselle

just saw the show for the first time, i thi nk it s really cool that they live according to what feels right for them.i love vintage also, so i know the appeal you are talking about.

http://twitter.com/sonkist18 Terri Silva

Dollie has a blog that you must read on blog spot. I’m on her side and blocking TLC from my television’s on-screen guide. I knew reality tv was bad, but not like this! I think Dollie’s blog is called The Rockabilly Socialite. It should be easy to Google.

Antony N Jilly

Thank you for the name of her blog Terri!!
~Jilly

LilKitteh

These girls are ROCKABILLY, like my daughter Valerie, and yes, it is a lifestyle, made up to suit individual taste. You can’t find cooler music or clothing and if some want to take it further, so what? Maybe you’d rather they sport AK’s and listen to Lil Wayne? Bleh.. Don’t judge.. Awesome Tiki party, by the way.

private ben

well from running in the same circle with these people “the I am more authentic and rockabilly then you” bull runs fluid. just take a look at viva las vegas the rockabilly reunion, where every girl is a pinup model or a burlesque dancer or designs reproduction clothes. They kiss each others asses, network and strive to beat out the next on whos better at it to become the next popular girl at the event. they spend all year working toward this picking out and selecting clothes to show up one another. the stuff in the homes the dresses pricey…. thinking rich parents, the hubbies look to Stafford to get their hands dirty.